R9 280X vs RTX 2070 Super Max-Q
Head-to-head specifications
| Metric | R9 280X | RTX 2070 Super Max-Q | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Time Spy | 1,434 | 2,219 | -35.4% |
| Avg FPS @ 1080p | 29 | 34 | -14.7% |
| Avg FPS @ 1440p | 16 | 19 | -15.8% |
| Avg FPS @ 4K | 8 | 10 | -20.0% |
| FP32 compute (TFLOPS) | 4.1 | 6.3 | -35.3% |
| VRAM | 3 GB GDDR5 | 8 GB GDDR6 | — |
| Memory bandwidth (GB/s) | 336 | 448 | -25.0% |
| TDP (W) | 250 | 96 | — |
- RTX 2070 Super Max-Q averages 19 fps at 1440p versus 16 fps — about 16% faster.
- RTX 2070 Super Max-Q draws less power (96W vs 250W).
Verdict: R9 280X or RTX 2070 Super Max-Q?
R9 280X advantages
- No decisive advantage on the tracked metrics.
RTX 2070 Super Max-Q advantages
- 1440p gaming (+16%)
- 4K gaming (+20%)
- Synthetic benchmark performance (+35%)
- Video memory (+63%)
- Memory bandwidth (+25%)
- Power efficiency (+62%)
Which should you choose?
- Choose the RTX 2070 Super Max-Q if you game at 1440p.
R9 280X vs RTX 2070 Super Max-Q: which should you choose?
R9 280X — AMD desktop graphics card (2013, GCN 1.0) with 3 GB of GDDR5, averaging 16 fps at 1440p; launched at $299.
RTX 2070 Super Max-Q — NVIDIA laptop graphics card (2019, Turing) with 8 GB of GDDR6, averaging 19 fps at 1440p.
R9 280X vs RTX 2070 Super Max-Q: RTX 2070 Super Max-Q is faster for gaming. RTX 2070 Super Max-Q averages 19 fps at 1440p versus 16 fps — about 16% faster. RTX 2070 Super Max-Q draws less power (96W vs 250W).
1080p, 1440p and 4K
At 1440p — the most common enthusiast resolution — the RTX 2070 Super Max-Q averages 19 fps against 16. At 4K (8 vs 10 fps) VRAM (3GB vs 8GB) and memory bandwidth matter more.
Power and value
Board power is 250 W versus 96 W, which affects PSU headroom, case cooling and noise.
The verdict
Both are credible choices in the graphics card comparison space; the specification table above lays out every metric so you can weigh the trade-offs that matter to you. Pick the one whose strengths line up with how you will actually use it.
Frequently asked questions
Is the R9 280X better than the RTX 2070 Super Max-Q?
RTX 2070 Super Max-Q is the clearly stronger overall choice, winning most of the dimensions that matter. RTX 2070 Super Max-Q averages 19 fps at 1440p versus 16 fps — about 16% faster.
What is the main difference between the R9 280X and the RTX 2070 Super Max-Q?
RTX 2070 Super Max-Q averages 19 fps at 1440p versus 16 fps — about 16% faster. RTX 2070 Super Max-Q draws less power (96W vs 250W).
Which should I choose?
Choose the RTX 2070 Super Max-Q if you game at 1440p.
Methodology
Graphics cards are compared on 3DMark Time Spy scores, average gaming frame rates at 1080p/1440p/4K, FP32 compute throughput, VRAM capacity and type, memory bandwidth, board power (TDP) and launch MSRP — plus AI workload throughput (Stable Diffusion iterations/s and local LLM tokens/s) where measured. Vintage and server GPUs without modern benchmark results are compared on specifications only, clearly labelled. Frame rates are averages across a game suite at high settings; specific titles vary.